I think I need a logo...
I figure if we start by being off-topic, when we reach that inevitable point later, it'll be no big deal.
Audio version here!
Welcome yet again to Extra Pulp OJ! I wanna start off with a huge thank you to you guys! Two weeks ago, I released a very self-gratifying piece that I think from a critical standpoint did a lot of things wrong. I'm of course talking about Finalemonogatari part II.
You see, that post was a conclusion to a mini- month-long -series that I did on The Monogatari Series, and it was targeted at a very small potential audience. Yet somehow, even past the infinite tangents I went on, the odd timing of the post (according to my schedule) and the pure volume of words in it, it's become my most viewed piece! So thank you guys for blowing all of my expectations out of the water and validating my own selfish desires to force feed you a polarizing series.
Alas, that is the past, and we live in a present that is ever changing, and so our topic this week changes with it.
You Can Always Count On a Preface
This month, we've chosen to talk about Final Fantasy VII! Odds are that you at least know of this game and have a basic understanding of it's plot. The thing about that though, I feel like most people miss a specific major point, and because of that, Tifa gets a little discredited or overlooked as a character.
Now, Final Fantasy VII has it's own share of story woes. I know of more people who think that you're interacting with Sephiroth throughout the story than I do people who understand what's really happening. There are people who think that Cloud is an actual clone of Sephiroth with no history before that point, and I've even heard it said that he is a clone of Zack! If you have any questions about these elements, or any other basic plot confusion, talk to me! I'll be happy to answer -- but all the same, these answers can be found elsewhere on the web, so my attention won't be focused on theses issues in this post.
Today, I talk about Tifa. More specifically, the promise she made with Cloud as a child, and how important of a point in the game that is. There are a few things we have to completely understand before we can
even begin dissecting the promise itself, though.
First, we have to verify what actually happened in the years before Final Fantasy VII takes place. There's a bit of memory altering going on, and no one character seems to be able to see the entire picture, so when a character explains what happened, some details are lost or plain wrong.
Second, we have to know "who is Cloud when the
promise is made," and "who is Tifa to Cloud when the promise is
made?" Not understanding the dynamics of this relationship would be
tripping at the starting line, and it's what happens to a lot of people.
The Cloud That Never Existed
And the Cloud that did.
 |
| #113 of Lap Pun Cheung's Final Fantasy VII speed painting series |
There are a lot of things we are introduced to as fact in Final Fantasy VII that simply are not so. Throughout the journey, you as the audience are expected to be able to take the foundation for the narrative that you're experiencing, sort through it and pick out what is fact and what is misinformation. As you would expect, this can cause confusion.
For example, and perhaps most notably, Tifa and Cloud are not childhood friends. In other words, when they made the promise, they weren't friends. At best, the two were acquaintances, but I think even that is more than reality. In actuality, Cloud idolized Tifa; She was the dream girl.
This can be confusing, since at the beginning of the game, and pretty much throughout it, Tifa claims that they are childhood friends, and Cloud agrees. This claim, even though both characters believe it, is false. This belief itself is a product of the Jenova cells' influence. This is an area of the game that can confuse a lot of players (for the aforementioned reasons), so I'll try and clarify as much as I can.
Though Sephiroth and Jenova do not know the entirety of Cloud's story, what they say is not a lie. They don't intentionally tell an incomplete truth, either, but that's a product less of deceit, and more of being restricted to your own experience and viewpoint.
 |
The actual photo taken in Nibelheim that day
ripped from Final Fantasy VII's game data. |
I'm specifically talking about a couple of things that Sephiroth says in his recollection of the Nibelheim incident: He tells Cloud that "Cloud" was not in Nibelheim that day -- That the Jenova cells are causing him to believe he was there in the place of Zack, and that "Cloud" never even existed. He also tells Tifa that her childhood friend "Cloud" was probably a made-up memory created by the Jenova cells' influence as well[*].
Now, after reading that sentence, you may be thinking "But that is a lie! Cloud did exist, and the game proves it," to which you are correct, but Sephiroth isn't talking about Cloud's existence in totality, only "Cloud" as Tifa and Cloud remember him.
Cloud remembers himself as the childhood friend of Tifa who left Nibelheim to join SOLDIER. This "Cloud" joined SOLDIER, secured the rank of SOLDIER 1st Class, and returned to Nibelheim alongside Sephiroth as his equal. "Cloud" was shame-free, proud and confident. This "Cloud" never existed.
Tifa remembers "Cloud" and her childhood friend who left Nibelheim and never came back. This "Cloud" also never existed.
However, at the beginning of Final Fantasy VII, Tifa and Cloud both legitimately believe that this is who Cloud was. We're presented with these belief as if they are facts, but later in the story, this charade of an identity falls apart, and we are instead presented with the real facts.
What Sephiroth says is the truth: this "Cloud" never existed. However, Sephiroth cannot confidently say if a Cloud ever existed or not[*]; he can only say for sure that the Jenova cells took a convenient memory from Tifa's mind and manipulated that memory (along with Cloud) to fit Jenova's purpose. Of course, that's exactly what happened.
Deep breath.
I know, it's a bit confusing, so here it is in chronological order:
Tifa and Cloud were not friends, but Cloud did like Tifa. They made a promise together, and Cloud left Nibelheim.
Cloud fails to enter SOLDIER, and is ashamed of that. Because of that shame, he cannot show his face around Tifa when he returns to Nibelheim. When he does return alongside Zack and Sephiroth, she never sees him and assumes he didn't come back, but Cloud does see her.
Zack, Cloud and Sephiroth are all mortally wounded in Nibelheim, and Cloud gets injected with Jenova cells, which leaves him dumb (in the literal sense, not the derogatory sense). Zack rescues Cloud, but dies. Sephiroth and Jenova's head fall in the Lifestream and begin the process of the Jenova reunion. The Jenova cells in Cloud begin actively working toward the reunion.
The now-dummied Cloud and Tifa separately make their way and eventually meet in Midgar. The Jenova cells take Tifa's memory of Cloud and manipulate it to create the charade that Cloud lives and believes until the events of Mideel.
Got it? Then let's move on!
[*]This is the only real instance of possible deceit I see from Sephiroth in this scene. Given, Cloud at this point is a simple Shin-Ra infantryman, but being the person who stabbed Sephiroth and sent him plummeting into the Lifestream, he seems like someone Sephiroth should remember. I imagine Sephiroth says this "possible" truth (that maybe Tifa's Cloud never existed) as a way to further the instability in Cloud's mind in order to make him a more obedient subject with less will.
Cloud's Troubled Youth, and His Infatuation with Tifa
Going all the way back to Tifa and Cloud's childhood[s], why does Cloud like Tifa as a child? This is a point I really hope they explore in the Final Fantasy VII remake, because a lot of Cloud's childhood and family situation (and to that point, Tifa's as well) are not elaborated upon. Here's what I believe:
(Note: Though I can only advertise this section as belief, it has a solid foundation and footing, and even if some details are wrong, I'm confident that it is the closest thing to a factual conclusion that can be reached.)
Cloud's family is a problem. Specifically, he has no father figure in his life; in every flashback we have of Cloud, it's only him and his mother. I'm not jumping to any conclusions about why his father isn't there -- perhaps he died, or Cloud is a child of divorce -- but regardless, it's apparent that Cloud is troubled by something, and my money is on that being at least one culprit.
 |
早く元気になってね
Pivix user isaki |
How do we know Cloud is troubled? Two reasons: Cloud doesn't have any friends (he's considered a strange kid by his peers, specifically Tifa's circle of friends), and the town is quick to blame him for problems. We see an example of the second when Cloud remembers falling off of the bridge with Tifa as children; even though the people of the town know that Tifa wasn't the most emotionally stable child at this point in time, they'd rather blame Cloud for bringing her somewhere dangerous than even entertain the thought that Tifa put herself in harms way.
It's also worth noting that this may not be exactly how this event played out, it's just how it is remembered by Cloud. However, this only strengthens the idea that he was dealing with something heavy -- too heavy for any child. Even if the adults weren't targeting him and blaming him for what happened to Tifa, he sure felt like and believed that they were. He didn't feel valued or trusted, and that's what's important.
Now, of course this doesn't explain why he liked Tifa, but It does present us with the idea that Cloud wanted something better in his life. He possibly didn't have a great home life (despite a loving and caring mother), and he didn't have any real friends or a good reputation, so he longed for something, even if it's his [possibly] glorified idea of love.
There could be any number of reasons why Cloud chose Tifa, but I think it all boils down to it being really easy to see her as "perfect"; She was popular with kids and adults alike. She was obviously a popular girl among the boys, as wee see in the flashback. She was surrounded by them, even though she didn't seem to particularly want them there. I'll mention again that the adults seem to immediately dismiss the thought of Tifa ever doing anything questionable when they save her and Cloud. Again, even if that's not the case, Cloud remembers it that way, which means he thinks that everyone sees her in that light.
So yeah, it's probably just because she's pretty and talented. That's what boys are infatuated with, after all. Regardless of the reason, Cloud was interested in Tifa.
Anyway, eventually Cloud grows tired of being looked down on. He hated that he was seen as a problem child. He was tired of his home life and not having any friends. The only thing he liked about Nibelheim was Tifa, even if that went no deeper than simple infatuation. So despite the fact that he didn't think Tifa would ever care, she was still the only one he cared to let know (despite his mother, of course) that he would be "leaving this town come summer." He's gonna be someone.
The Promise, and What You Probably Missed
This promise as a moment is a whole bunch of things Cloud never thought would happen. If anything is lost from the promise itself, if that -- and that's a huge part of it!
When we're first shown the promise (when Tifa reminds Cloud of it in Sector 7), we view it under the impression that it was a promise between childhood friends. Because of that, this scene is usually dismissed as a tool for Tifa to guilt trip Cloud into staying. Pretty shallow, right? The only weight it carries is the message the promise itself carries: Tifa wants Cloud to save her; she wants to experience that at least once in her life.
 |
MOFF7 Childhood Promise
Deviantart User demieagle |
For this reason, it's not possible to capture the real weight of the scene the first time around. They do reintroduce this moment in Cloud's conscience, but now that we have all the context behind it, we don't get the words exchanged! In fact, Tifa dismisses it's value as Cloud's memory because she told it to him, and the Jenova cells have been exposed to it! It's starting to seem like this memory isn't that important, huh?
How then, do we see this promise for what it's worth? We have to revisit the initial scene with our newfound knowledge. From there, we can really dissect what Cloud and Tifa say, and catch the real meaning behind it. Let's start!
Tifa: "Do you remember?"
Cloud: "Yeah...
I thought you'd never come,
and I was getting a little cold."
Right off the bat, we get something meaningful. Cloud says "I thought you'd never come," and that shouldn't be shrugged off as a typical conversation cliche. Cloud didn't think that Tifa would come, because why would she? It's not like they were friends or anything -- She was the highest of highs, and he was the lowest of lows. Who knows how many times she's been asked to talk to another boy in private? Nothing was special about him.
From the moment Tifa shows up, I imagine Cloud is a nervous wreck, and he's just going to spew whatever he's rehearsed.
Tifa: "Sorry I'm late.
You said you wanted to
talk to me about something?"
Cloud: "Come this spring...
I'm leaving town for Midgar."
What'd I say~ Cloud get's right to the point: He's leaving town. He's not stopping to apologize for having her come out in the cold, or telling Tifa that she looks pretty in her dress; it's all business, so to speak.
Tifa: "All the boys are leaving town."
Cloud: "But I'm different from them;
I'm not just going to find a job.
I want to join SOLDIER."
Cloud: "I'm going to be the best there is,
Just like Sephiroth!"
Tifa: "Sephiroth...
The Great Sephiroth?"
Who knows why Tifa showed up, but at first, she seems a little dismissive. Not completely condescending, because of course she's likable, but yeah, "All the boys are leaving."
But that changes when Cloud mentions his goal: to be like Sephiroth. Sephiroth, of course, is quite the celebrity -- Now Tifa's interested.
Tifa: "Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?"
Cloud: *nods* "...I probably won't be able
to come back to this town for a while.
Tifa: *giggles*
Cloud: "...huh?"
Tifa: "If you make it,
Will you be in the newspapers?"
Cloud: "I'll try."
Tifa, because she's just a kid, thinks about herself. Sure it's a bit selfish, but that's how her world works.
And, of course, that shouldn't be over-thought. These are just two kids talking about having their names up in lights. Of course you should think about yourself, that's the point of the subject, right?
Again, this isn't as big of a deal for Tifa, but this is Cloud's big goodbye. Their mannerisms capture this. Tifa's swinging her legs over the edge, stretching her legs out, bending backward to look up at Cloud... Who's trying to make a grand gesture. He dramatically turned his back to Tifa, and placed himself on the top of the structure (the well, of course). Up there, he is literally high and mighty.
Tifa: "Hey, let's make a promise."
"Umm... If you get really famous and
I'm ever in a bind...
you'll come save me, alright?"
Cloud: "What?"
Ah, the promise itself.
 |
Let's make a promise
Deviantart user BloodlineV |
Just kidding, that's not what's important. What IS important is the part that I see dismissed and criticized time and time again: "Why does Cloud just say 'What'? [The writers] could have put so much more character into that! Make him chuckle at Tifa for that bizarre statement or something!"
The moment I see something akin to that on a message board or forum or thread -- whatever! -- I know that person missed the point.
That simple "what?" completely encapsulate's Cloud's reaction. Think about it: it's entirely possible that all he had in the form of conversation was his rehearsed speech. On top of that, this is Tifa, the object of his infatuation! He didn't even think someone like her would show up, much less ask him to make such a romantic promise. All he can muster is a baffled "What?" He didn't expect any of this.
Tifa: "If I'm ever in trouble, My
hero will come and rescue me.
I want to experience that at least once."
Cloud: "What?"
Tifa keeps it up. She claims he could be a hero? HER hero?? Are you kidding me! "What!?" Oh shoot, Cloud -- Play it cool, play it cool!
Tifa: "Come on! Promise me!"
Cloud: "All right... I promise."
And the promise is made.
The Promise's Lasting Impact, and Why Tifa is So Important to the Story of Final Fantasy VII
The initial impact of that promise is apparent. Cloud uses it as motivation to go join SOLDIER. Of course, we know he fails, and that hangs with him. When he returns to Nibelheim, he can't stand the thought of Tifa seeing him as a failure. It was too important to him that she believe in him. Later, when Tifa brings it up in Sector 7, it's pretty much the sole reason he hangs around for another mission.
But there's a deeper impact, and I actually hinted on it above. This promise seems to motivate Cloud and affect him -- uninhibited by Jenova's cells. They don't tell Cloud that it was cold that night or how the stars looked, he remembers it. Surely, based on the confident personality the cells created for him, they wouldn't allow him to remember how unnaturally he spoke to Tifa that night. Lastly, it can't serve the purposes of the cells in any foreseeable way to interrupt the reunion process to do another mission with AVALANCHE. This becomes unparalleled in importance for Cloud, especially in the Lifestream under Mideel.
 |
Cloud's Subconscious (background)
Ripped from FFVII's game data |
I'd like to bring up a seemingly random point: People claim that Cloud had to have had a weak conscience to have allowed the Jenova cells to control him like that, but I always though that was a weird way to look at things. If you look at all of the other Sephiroth clones, none of them had any real personality. Yeah, Cloud was tricked into following Jenova across the world and became Jenova/Sephiroth's ultimate pawn, but all of the others were mindless drones. Cloud, on the other hand, was strong enough to retain a personality, and in fact recover from losing his sense of self after being a part of the reunion. But was that really his doing; was that his own strength? I offer up the thought that no, it was not -- It was Tifa's.
Initially, the only reason Cloud ever regains a sense of personality (after arriving in Midgar) is because he meets up with Tifa. If the Jenova cells were simply fishing for a memory in order to give Cloud a personality, they would have already; they had the entire trip from Nibelheim to Midgar to find an identity. I don't think that it was in Jenova's best interest for Cloud to have a personality, but the cells sensed that Tifa was a threat. She could bring Cloud's real self back, and she does (eventually).
There are a lot of strong memories that define the conscience that is Cloud; There's the death of his mother and incineration of his entire home town, the death of his best friend who he idolized, failing to accomplish his dream of joining SOLDIER -- even the death of Aerith.
Despite all of possible life changing memories that could have potentially saved Cloud (including the likeliness that Aerith could have spiritually visited him, we've seen that in Advent Children), the only one that showed it's capability to do so was the memory of Tifa. The memory of idolizing her, and trying to save her. The idea that he ever let her down, when the thought of her was the only thing he could draw strength from. The memory of the promise, as well.
 |
| 給水塔での約束 by Pivix user まこ |
If you recall, the memory that pulled Cloud back from the blank state he was in after the incident at the Northern Crater was the one where he followed Tifa into the Nibelheim mountain range. If Tifa doesn't walk and talk this out with his inner self, and if she never leaves the impressions throughout Cloud's life that she does, I doubt Cloud ever get's out of his own head. He stays dumbfounded with a shattered conscience until Meteor destroys the world and him with it. Thank you, Tifa.
Conclusion!
That's a pretty big deal, isn't it? For years, I cast the promise aside when playing Final Fantasy VII, so I understand how it can be misinterpreted (or rather, uninterpreted... underinterpreted?) as a simple introduction to Tifa's character. Of course, it does that job well enough, but it does lead to the confusion of whether or not Cloud and Tifa were childhood friends. As a final note, I also really like the irony in the promise. Tifa asks Cloud to save her, to be her hero someday. Whereas Cloud does manage that to some extent, it seems like Tifa is the one who did all of the real saving for Cloud.
But that's the thing about Final Fantasy: if you're not careful, you might discard the most important scenes at face value. At the same time, however, you can't examine every scene to every detail -- that's unrealistic. A lot of times, you gotta play through a couple of times to get what Square is trying to say.
So, what do you guys think, am I spewing a biased opinion, or did I enlighten on a facet of Tifa and all of FFVII that you never though about? Do you want more dissections like this?
Because I could also talk about the value of the Laughing Scene in Final Fantasy X.
